Jon Green and Chris Rofe head UK arm of benefits consultancy Lockton

Professional services firm Lockton has promoted Senior Vice Presidents Jon Green and Chris Rofe to share the leadership of its UK and international benefits practice. They replace the previous head, Mike Tyler who will continue in consulting capacity at the firm post-retirement.

Broker and employee benefits consulting firm Lockton was founded by Jack Lockton in 1966. Since then, the Kansas headquartered professional services firm has grown to become the world’s 9th largest insurance brokerage firm, hosting over 6,500 employees globally, and enjoying revenues of over $1.44 billion in the last fiscal year. After more than 50 years in business, however, the firm remains keen to push for growth, and is willing to resort to both targeted acquisitions and headcount expansion in order to obtain it.

In terms of inorganic growth, this recently saw Lockton purchase E3 Solutions in a bid to expand into the Western US market. Meanwhile, in Britain, the firm’s global drive for growth has also been boosted by the promotion of two new leaders for the firm’s UK and international benefits practice.

Jon Green brings more than 25 years of insurance, reinsurance and consulting experience to his new shared role at Lockton – a firm he has been with since 2013. Prior to arriving at Lockton, Green spent eight years with Buck Consultants, where he came to lead the operational management of the firm, and a number of their key consulting relationships. Before spending five years at Swiss insurance firm GE Frankona Rueckversicherungs, where he was latterly an Account Executive, Green also spent a large chapter in his career in underwriting for insurance firms Axa and Guardian Health – where he began professional life in 1988.

Chris Rofe, who is also elevated to compliment Green as co-leader of Lockton’s benefits offering based in London, boasts a similar record to his colleague. Rofe has likewise spent more than a quarter of a century working in the health and risk market, leading large client teams in the support of major global medical, occupational health and wellbeing projects, during that time. Before joining Lockton, Rofe was also an employee of Buck Consultants, most recently working as a Senior Consultant in Health & Productivity, before exiting in 2012. Prior to moving into consultancy in 2011, Chris Rofe led the large corporate team at Axa with responsibility for corporate medical cover, occupational health, employee wellbeing and affiliated services. Spending more than five years with Axa, he was most recently Head of Client Relations at the insurance giant.

Transition

Both see their efforts at Lockton rewarded, with their simultaneous promotion from Senior Vice Presidents. Green will assume leadership responsibilities in the firm’s UK and International benefits practice, as of 1st May 2018. Their elevation follows the planned retirement of incumbent head of Benefits, Mike Tyler.

Former Mercer Global Partner and Chief Operating Officer Tyler also arrived from Buck Consultants in 2012, having been Managing Director for Health & Productivity at the firm, before joining Lockton. Since then, he has spent five years establishing Lockton’s benefits business in the UK, while overseeing the development of Lockton's global benefit operations. After stepping back from his role, Tyler will also continue to work with Lockton team in an advisory capacity, as well as completing a PhD in Employee Health and Wellbeing.

Tyler said, “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to truly build something great here at Lockton. Over the last five years we have brought together a best-in-class team to offer unparalleled guidance to our clients. I leave the team in capable hands and look forward to watching it continue to grow.”

In a joint statement, his successors Green and Rofe paid tribute to Tyler, commenting, “Mike Tyler is an industry pioneer and his ideas will continue to impact everything our group does. We are excited to build on the strong foundations that have been established as we continue to focus on delivering to our clients."